


Gonna Kiss You In My Arms

by babyfairy



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Costume Parties & Masquerades, F/M, Gift Fic, Post-Canon, Post-War, Romance, The Blue Spirit - Freeform, The Painted Lady - Freeform, bluetara
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-25 19:18:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16666699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babyfairy/pseuds/babyfairy
Summary: Beneath his mask, he smiles. She's looking for him and he knows it.





	Gonna Kiss You In My Arms

**Author's Note:**

  * For [claireandelide](https://archiveofourown.org/users/claireandelide/gifts).



> A very belated birthday present for a very dear friend, something short and sweet! My apologies, my love, but I hope you enjoy this!

The colors of the festival are dazzling. 

Scarlet ribbons flutter from the tops of the stalls selling treats that entice any who walk by; golden lanterns flutter in the wind, bob along above the crowd, shimmer behind the heat waves from grills that offer up the rich smell of meat cooking. Black ink scrawls across the signs advertising trinkets all the way from The Earth Kingdom, travel size weapons made of whale bone from The Water Tribe, swatches of orange and yellow cloth from The Air Nomads.

But the color that catches his eye is the glimpse of maroon that slips through the crowd. He tracks the faded brown shade of her straw hat, wide and large, parting the crowd for her. He knows what he would see if he looked closer; streaks of red on her skin, a seashell clasp for her robe, a dress brighter than the scarlet ribbons fluttering in the air.

Beneath his mask, he smiles. She's looking for him and he knows it.

A warm breeze wraps around him as he stands. He watches the ongoing activities of the festival for a few minutes longer, and then he moves to the edge of the roof. Her straw hat is still within sight; he can see her gliding between the people surrounding her, moving as fluidly as water. And they part like the sea for her, too, giving way to the celestial presence before them.

He drops from the roof and hits the ground silently. Those outside the alley are unaware of him, just as he intended. And it doesn't matter. He's only here for one thing.

For one person. 

The crowd is full to the brim with people in costume. Some outfits are elaborate, some are simple; all are exotic. He passes by a wild variety of styles and colors, his own eyes peering through the crowd for the colors he needs.

Finally, he finds her near the musicians. For a moment, he stays where he is and watches her. She's swaying lightly, the robe she wears shifting with the movements of her body. Despite the music around her, impatience flickers across her face.

She's waiting for him. And he knows better than to keep her waiting.

So he melts through the crowd, as quiet and elusive as a shadow, and makes his way to her. She spots him immediately and turns herself to face him, and the smile that likes her face feels like a burst of sunshine across his skin as he gets closer to her. 

When he's close enough, she reaches for him, takes his hands and pulls him close. "Finally," she greets, eyeing him with disapproval. "I've been waiting all night."

"My apologies." He ducks his head in a slight bow. "I'm here now, though. I'm all yours." 

Her smile is brilliant; her eyes sparkle like gemstones under the fire light surrounding them. She tugs him closer, leads him into crowd, and just like that, the music sweeps them up into another world.

For a while, they're lost to the songs that play. The rhythms change for each one, but they manage to keep up, their steps matching the beats evenly. One hand remains on her waist, one on his shoulder, and the other two are locked together, the hold strong and steady.

The music shifts into something slower, something more intimate, with soft strings and something deep that resonates through the bones. She steps closer to him, a smile on her face. "Hello, Zuko," she whispers. "I've missed you."

Beneath his mask, he smiles back at her. She can't see it, but she knows him enough to know it's there. "I've missed you, too, Katara." They've only been apart for a matter of days, but it's still true.

They'd both known he would need to leave the palace to tend to matters on the outskirts of the Nation. They'd both known it was important to Zuko to uphold his promises to his people, and they'd both known Katara would never intentionally keep him from those promises.

But that didn't mean the duties were accepted happily. So he had made her a promise, to meet her here, this night, at the Festival of Faces, a fairly new tradition that gave people a chance to dress up just for the fun of it. And that included the Fire Lord and the Southern Water Tribe Ambassador. 

The song changes again and Katara takes command of the dance, whirling them out of crowd in a blur of maroon and onyx. She stops them on the edge of the pavilion, on the outskirts of the festival, where the light barely reaches them.

Katara removes her hat and sets it on a deserted table. "I missed your face, too," she murmurs, reaching up to remove the mask.

Zuko holds still to oblige her, and when their eyes meet, his smile is soft and tender, the flip side to her sunshine smile. Katara sets the mask beside her hat and slides her hand along his neck, slips her fingers into his hair, and pulls him down to her. Zuko meets her half way. Their kiss is sweet, simple, and yet so rich.

It says _welcome home_.

It says _I missed you_.

It says _don't leave me again_.

It says _take me with you next time_.

Zuko responds with his own language. His mouth answers for him with another kiss; his fingers reciprocate that longing by cupping Katara's strong jaw, by curling into her thick hair. His heart beats in time with hers, promising not to be so far away again, and his soft sigh whispers _yes, you'll be coming with me_.

Because even just four days is four too many. This isn't new to them, not even close, but the knowledge and routine do nothing to make the separations any easier. 

Katara opens her eyes slowly when the kiss breaks. They glimmer in the moonlight, turned pale and otherworldly by her ruler. It takes Zuko's breath away, just like the smile she gives him, just like the way she pulls him closer does.

"Let's keep dancing," she murmurs, and he obliges her again, spinning her into the night to the distant sounds of the music spilling out of the confines of the festival.

\---------

When the sun rises a few hours later, it finds The Blue Spirit and The Painted Lady sprawled out in the tall grass on the slope of a hill beneath the city. 

Zuko cracks an eye open, awoken by the warmth of his ruler. The sun's light spreads over the land, over their bodies, slow and steady. Zuko turns his head to find Katara in the crook of his arm. She shifts under the sunlight, brows drawing together, but her eyes remain closed. A soft protest snuffles in her chest as she presses her face into his shoulder. 

Zuko smiles as he watches her, recalling something he'd said to her long ago. _You rise with the moon; I rise with the sun_. How true that had been. Katara fights tooth and nail to avoid waking up early, just like right now.

But he sees no reason to wake her. It's early, and he isn't expected back at the palace just yet. If he's lucky, he won't be sought out until much later into the day. So he rests his cheek to her hair and closes his eyes, letting his body absorb the sun's warmth.

Katara settles into his side; his hand rests on hers, and beneath it, he can feel the steady reassurance of her heartbeat. He lets it lull him back to sleep, content still from their reunion. The rest of the world isn't awake yet; they still have time.


End file.
